Rotary vane machine



Sept- 27, 1966 K. EICKMANN 3,274,945

ROTARY VANE MACHINE Filed July 2, 1965 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 III FIG. 2

INVENTOR l/a f E1 4? flan p 7 1966 K. EICKMANN 3,274,945

ROTARY VANE MACHINE Filed July 2, 1963 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGA FIG. 5

INVENTOR ar 2 5 cZ'mQ0/7 Sept. 27, 1966 K. EICKMANN 3,

ROTARY VANE MACHINE Filed July 2, 1963 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY WLQZQJ J 5726 ATTORNEY p 7, 1966 K. EICKMANN 3,274,945

ROTARY VANE MACHINE Filed July 2, 1963 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG.8

INVENTOR l /arf E1: kmaan ATTORNEY Sept. 27, 1966 K. EICKMANN 3,

ROTARY VANE MACHINE Filed July 2, 1963 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 11

INVENTOR Mar i Elk (ma BY j u'cl ad ffn'rfi ATTORNEY Sept. 27, 1966 K. EICKMANN 3,

ROTARY VANE MACHINE Filed July 2, 1963 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG. 13

INVENTOR A ari 5 2%, AW;

Sept. 27, 1966 K. EiCKMANN ROTARY VANE MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed July 2, 1963 INVENTOR L/QI'Z E/ukmdnq ATTORNEY United States Patent E 9 Claims. Cl. 103136) The present invention relates to liquid or gas-driven rotary vane machines, such as hydraulic or pneumatic pumps, compressors, motors, gears, or internal combustion engines, in which the vane or vanes which together with the machine housing or rotary housing ring and the rotor and rotor side walls enclose the work chambers, are slidably mounted in a slot or slots which are provided in the rotor side walls which are rotatable with the rotor.

More particularly, the invention relates to rotary vane machines of the above-mentioned type which are capable of generating high pressures or of operating under high pressures. For being able to generate or operate under high pressures such a rotary vane machine should comply with the following conditions:

The vane or vanes of the machine should be extended axially beyond the actual rotorwidth; the axial ends of the rotor should be provided with rotor side Walls which are secured to or integral with the actual rotor and are therefore rotatable therewith and which project radially beyond the actual rotor, i.e., the central part thereof; the slot or slots in the rotor should be extended into the rotor side walls and at least one of the longitudinal walls of each slot in the rotor and rotor side walls should preferably form a plane rigid surface, and each vane should with at least one longitudinal surface which is preferably likewise plane be slidable radially or nearly radially on at least one preferably plane wall of the slot in the rotor and both rot-or side walls.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rotor which complies with the above conditions and is designed so as to permit the construction of a very rugged rotary vane machine in which the vane or vanes may carry out long strokes and which produces or is able to work under very high pressures, has a high output, and operates at a high rate of efficiency.

An important feature of the invention for attaining this object consists in providing the central part and both side walls of the rotor with one or more slots which extend in radial or nearly radial directions but without projecting through the rotor side walls in the axial direction. The rotor according to the invention may be equipped with any suitable type of vanes, for example, of the type as disclosed in my Australian Patent No. 237,220 and in my US. Patents 3,099,964 and 3,158,103, or also of the types as disclosed in my copending United States applications Serial Nos. 223,113, now abandoned; 229,566, now Patent No. 3,186,347; 232,114; and 123,384; and in my U.S. applications Serial Nos. 296,383 and 298,726, and in other patents or patent applications. A machine which is equipped with a rotor according to the invention may also be provided with any desired kind of housing, especially with one of the housings or rotary housing rings as disclosed, for example, in my Japanese Patent No. 269,395, my United States Patent No. 2,975,716, or my German patent applications Nos. E21 481/1a 14b, E 21 640 XII/47f, or E 21 482 Ia/14b.

The above-mentioned as well as numerous other features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description of several preferred embodiments thereof which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which for making the invention more easily understood,

those parts of the different embodiments which have similar functions or serve for the same purposes are identified by the same reference numerals. Those parts which are conventional in the art are hereafter not described in detail since this would render the description too prolix and would not aid in understanding the important features of the invention.

In the drawings,

FIGURE 1 shows a longitudinal section of a rotor according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a cross section which is taken along the line II-II of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 shows a longitudinal section which is taken along the line III III of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 shows a longitudinal section of a modification of the rotor according to the invention;

FIGURE 5 shows a cross section which is taken along the line VV of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 shows a longitudinal section of another modification of the rotor according to the invention;

FIGURE 7 shows a cross section which is taken along the line VIIVII of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 shows a longitudinal section of a rotary vane machine which is equipped with a rotor of a type similar to that as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, this section being taken along the line VIIIVIII of FIG- URE 9;

FIGURES 9 and '10 show cross sections which are taken along the line IX-IX of FIGURE 8 and illustrate the rotor according to FIGURE 8 in two different positions during its operation;

FIGURE 11 shows a longitudinal section of a different high-pressure rotary vane-type machine which is equipped with a rotor according to another modification of the invention;

FIGURE 1-2 shows a cross section which is taken along the line XIIXII of FIGURE 11;

FIGURE 13 shows a longitudinal section of the rotor according to FIGURE 11, which is taken along the line XIII-XIII of FIGURE 14;

FIGURE 14 shows a cross section which is taken along the line XIV-XIV of FIGURE 13;

FIGURE 15 shows a longitudinal section of a further embodiment of a high-pressure rotary vane-type machine Which is equipped with a rotor according to still another modification of the invention; while FIGURE 16 shows a cross section which is taken along the line XV-XV of FIGURE 15.

In all of the embodiments of the invention as illustrated in all of the drawings, the machine rotor consists of a central rotor part 1 and a pair of rotor side walls 2 and 3. The central part 1 is located between the two rotor side walls 2 and G and has a smaller outer diameter than the latter. The rotor side walls 2 and 3 preferably extend at right angles to the rotor axis, although they may also extend at different angles thereto, and they project radially beyond the central rotor part 1. Insofar as they have been described above, such machine rotors are already disclosed in my previous US. Patent No. 2,975,716.

The central rotor part 1 and the two rotor side walls 2 and 3 are preferably provided with radial slots 5 which extend parallel to the rotor axis and project into the rotor side walls 2 and 3 by means of their axial extensions 5a and 5b, respectively. Although it is possible to provide the rotor with only one of these slots, several such slots are usually provided. This arrangement of the rotor slots is also already disclosed in my previous US. Patent No. 2,975,716.

According to the present invention, the extensions 5a and 5b of these slots 5 are not extended in the axial direction entirely through the rotor side walls 2 and 3,

but only into the part thereof which is integral with the central rotor part 1, so that axially outside of the mentioned slot extensions a and 5b solid wall portions remain which are integral with the rotor and close the slots 5 or slot extensions 5m and 5b in the axial direction. This results in a very great solidity of the rotor since the walls of the rotor slots 5, '5a, 5b are thus prevented from yielding in a tangential direction. For producing the rotor slots 5 and their extensions 5a and 5b it is necessary to cut them radially from the outside into the central rotor part 1 and into the side walls 2 and 3 thereof, for example, by milling, broaching, or other suitable methods. In order to permit this work to be carried out and the longitudinal walls of the slots to be properly and accurately made, the ends of the slot extensions 5a and 5b are preferably provided with clearance grooves 6 between which the tools may then produce the slots with perfectly plane wall surfaces. The provision of such grooves 6 permits such perfectly plane slot wall surfaces to be produced even in a one-piece rotor, and not only in the central part 1 thereof but in the side walls 2 and 3 as well. This is so important because for the operation of the machine under high pressures, it is an absolute requirement that the slot walls in the central rotor part and in a part of the rotor side walls as well have absolutely plane surfaces without steps. Prior to this invention no proper construction was known which permitted the production of such plane slot walls in the rotors of machines in which the slots did not extend axially entirely through the rotor side walls. Therefore, it was also not possible prior to this invention to produce slot wall surfaces in such machines which were capable of withstanding high pressures.

Rotor 1, that is, the central rotor part 1 and the rotor side walls 2 and 3 may consist either of one piece of material or of several parts. The one-piece construction is especially solid and therefore preferred. In a construction of several parts which is not illustrated in the drawings, the parts may be secured to each other in any suitable manner, for example, by being flanged axially to each other, or they may be divided longitudinally with the dividing surfaces passing through or closely past the rotor axis. The parts may be held together by conventional means, such as rings, bolts, screws, rivets or the like. Shaft 4 may also be made integral with the rotor or be flanged thereon in a conventional manner, for example, by being screwed thereon. It is in principle already known, for example, from my US. Patent No. 2,975,716, to make the rotor and shaft either of one piece or of several parts.

According to the first embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 3, the rotor is provided with a slot 5 which extends radially entirely through the central rotor part 1 and the rotor side walls 2 and 3, but through the latter only so far in the axial direction that a wall portion remains on each end outside of the slot extensions 5a and 5b. The clearance grooves 6 also extend radially entirely through the rotor side walls. The rotor according to this embodiment of the invention has the advantage that it is extremely solid, especially since it may be produced integrally with the rotor side walls 2 and 3 and with the shaft 4 or with a shaft end and the rear journal part, while the slots, for example, the slots 5, 5a, 5b, and 6 may be very easily produced by means of broaching tools which may be drawn through the rotor in the radial direction. The rotor is mounted in a housing substantially as described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10.

The rotor according to the modification of the invention as illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5 is principally the same as that shown in FIGURES 1 to 3. It only differs from the latter by the fact that it is not only provided with a single slot 5, 5a, 5b but with several such slots, namely, With two slots *5, 5a, 5b which extend in different radial directions entirely through the central rotor 4 part 1 and the two rotor side walls 2 and 3. It is, however, also possible to provide more than two of such slots or a number of slots which extend only in radial directions into the rotor without passing radially entirely therethrough. Such slots may also be provided in nearly radial directions. Again as in the rotor according to FIGURES 1 to 3, it is advisable to provide any of these construction with clearance grooves 6. The rotor is mounted in a housing substantially as described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10.

The rotor 1 according to FIGURES 6 and 7 is provided with a pair of slots 7 and 8 the extensions 7a, 7b, 8a, and 8b of which project into the rotor side walls 2 and 3. The ends of these slots may again be provided with clearance grooves 6. This rotor 1 may also be made integral with the rotor side walls 2 and 3 or in addition also with the shaft 4 and the rear journal 4a. This again results in a rotor structure of great solidity. The particular feature of the rotor according to FIGURES 6 and 7 is that the two slots 7 and 8 together with their extensions 7a, 7b, and 8a, 8b are separated from each other by an intermediate web 1a. This rotor design has the advantage that the respective vane which is located in one of the slots may enter entirely into the central rotor part 1. If the vane is built so that its radial length is equal to the diameter of the central rotor part, it is possible to attain a rotary vane machine which has a vane stroke of a length equal to the diameter of the central rotor part, even though for this purpose the cylindrical shape of the inner surface of the housing of the machine does not have to be altered. The rotor is mounted in a housing substantially as described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10.

0f course, the rotor according to the invention also permits either one vane or two vanes to be mounted within each slot so as to be slidable relative to each other. Furthermore, the rotor is not required to have only two slots 7 and 8, but a greater number of such slots may also be provided which may, for example, be disposed at right angles to each other or be inclined at different angles to each other. The slots extensions 7a, 7b, 8a and 8b are provided for the same purposes as the slot extensions 5a and 5b in FIGURES 1 to 5.

FIGURES 8 to 10 illustrate a rotary vane machine which is equipped with a rotor of a type which is similar in principle to the rotor according to FIGURES 1 to 3. However, in this case the slot 5, 5a, 5b in the rotor 1 and its two side walls 2 and 3 does not only contain a single vane but two vanes 9 and 10. FIGURES 8 and 10 further illustrate an example of the manner in which the rotor 1 may be installed in a machine housing 11. This machine housing is divided to permit its installation. The dividing line is not indicated in the drawings since the division may be carried out in many different manners. Thus, for example, the central part of the housing between the two rotor side walls may form a part separate from the two lateral parts 11a which may be flanged thereon in the axial direction. Between the housing, rotor 1, and the rotor side walls 2 and 3, the work chambers 12 and 13 are provided which are limited by the vanes 9 and 10. The necessary inlet and outlet lines leading to the work chambers are not illustrated in the drawings :because they may be conventionally provided at various points of the housing or the rotor in accordance with the particular kind of construction of the machine. They may, for example, be formed by channels which are provided in the shaft 4 and the rotor 1. The main work chamber of the machine which is formed between the housing 11, rotor 1, and the rotor side walls 2 and 3 is divided by the vanes 9 and 10 into the two work chambers 12 and 13. At each revolution of the rotor, each of these two work chambers has once a maximum volume and once a minimum volume, and it varies periodically between these volumes while the rotor revolves. FIG- URES 9 and show the rotary vane machine in two different rotor positions. In FIGURE 9, the work chamber 12 is shown in the position in which it has its largest cross-sectional area, while the work chamber 13 is shown in the position in which it has its smallest cross-sectional area. In FIGURE 10, the rotor 1 is turned at an angle of 90 to its position as shown in FIGURE 9, and therefore the work chambers 12 and 13 and then have the same size. These two drawings illustrate how two vanes 9 and 10 are superimposed on each other in the common rotor slot and how they slide relative to each other during the rotation of the rotor.

Instead of installing a rotor of the type as shown in FIGURES 1 to 3 in the rotary vane machine according to FIGURES 8 to 10, it is also possible to install therein a rotor of the type as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. In such a case, the vanes 9 and 10 do not lie directly on each other but are separated by an intermediate web 19.

FIGURES 11 and 12 illustrate a rotary vane machine of a different type in which a rotor according to the invention is installed which is shown separately in FIG- URES 13 and 14. For the purpose of illustrating the different possibilities of applying the rotor according to the invention, the rotary vane machine according to PIG- URES ll and 12 is shown in the form of an internal combustion engine. The rotor 15 according to FIG URES 13 and 14 may, however, also be employed in others types of rotary vane machines, for example, in liquid-driven machines, such as oil engines, pumps, or the like.

Rotor 15 is rotatably mounted in the engine housing 14 and has eight substantially radial slots 16 which are connected with each other by a central bore 17 and are extended into the rotor side walls 15a and 15b in the form of the slot extensions 16a and 16b. These slots are arranged so that the opopsite slots are offset by the width of one slot relative to each other in the peripheral direction. In the slots, vanes 18 are guided which slide along the inner guide surfaces 19a, 19b of the housing when the rotor revolves within the housing. Together with the rotor 15, the housing 14, and the rotor side walls 15a, 15b, vanes 13 form eight work chambers 20 to 27 which alternately increase and decrease in volume as the rotor revolves and which are connected to an inlet 28, an outlet 29, and via channels 30 and 31 to an ignition chamber 32. The extensions 18a and 18b of vanes 18 again project into the slot extensions 16a and 16b, respectively.

In FIGURE 12, the direction of rotation is indicated by arrows. When the rotor revolves, a mixture of fuel and air is sucked in through the intake channel 28, and passes into the chamber 20. During the further rotation of the rotor, the volume of chamber 20 increases to its maximum size, that is, approximately in the position between chambers 21 and 22. Thereafter, the chamber decreases in size until its reaches its smallest volume approximately at the position of chamber 23. Shortly after this position, the fuel-air mixture enters through the bore 30 into the ignition chamber 32 and is ignited therein. The flame then passes through the channel 31 into the work chamber in a position between chambers 23 and 24 whereby the entire mixture in this chamber is ignited. -Due to the tendency of the gases to expand when heated, rotor 15 is rotated until the work chamber reaches its maximum volume, that is, approximately in a position between chambers 25 and 26. The gas then escapes approximately at the position of chamber 27 through the exhaust channel 29.

It is evident from the drawings that the number of expansions which occur at each revolution of the rotor is equal to the number of chambers. Due to the large vane stroke of the rotary vane machines according to the invention and due to the great solidity of the inventive rotors, the rotary vane combustion engines of the types as here shown in principle can produce high torques and high outputs within a small area. Slots 16 may also in this case be provided with clearance grooves 33. In order to facilitate the production of slots .16, 16a, 16b, the rotor may be provided with the bore 17 and also with a bore 34 which extends coaxially to bore 17 and passes to the outside. If the slots 16 extend radially entirely through the rotor and side walls like the slots 5 as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, the slots 16, 16a, 16b may also be produced if no bores 17 and 34 are provided.

The distinguishing feature of the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGURES 11 to 14 consists primarily in the fact that, as already mentioned, the diametrically opposite slots do not lie within the same plane but are offset relative to each other so that only one wall surface of each slot lies within a comm-on diametrical plane with the other Wall surface of the opposite slot. The diametrically opposite slots are therefore cut out in opposite directions from this common radial plane. Such an arrangement has the advantage that, when the vanes 18 are located in chambers of a small volume, these vanes can enter deeply into their respective slots in the rotor 15, that is, so far that two diametrically opposite vanes 18 will slide over each other, as shown in FIG- URE 12. The diametrically opposite slots then have a common wall surface, so that a front wall of one and a rear wall of the other slot lie within a common plane. The opposite slots may, however, also be arranged so that a gap remains between them similarly as is the case in FIGURES 6 and 7 as the result of the intermediate Web. As the result of the mentioned arrangement of the slots it is possible that two diametrically or nearly diametrically opposite vanes can pass into the rotor at the same time without interfering with each other, while at the same time a large vane stroke of a size equal to nearly the diameter of the central rotor part and of the same length is attained by the chambers with a large volume.

Although in the embodiment according to FIGURES 11 and 12, there are eight vanes provided, it is also possible to provide any other number of vanes, for example, 6, 9, or 10, or even larger numbers. At least one vane 33 and its extensions 33a and 33b engages with one of its longitudinal surfaces on one of the longitudinal slot walls, that is, within the slot 16 of the central rotor part and the slot extensions 16a and 16b. The vane extensions 33a and 33b are located within the slot extensions 16a and 1612. -It is also possible to employ :vanes of a thickness substantially corresponding to the width of the slots. In this case, both longitudinal vane surfaces can engage with both slot walls and seal the same.

FIGURES 15 and 16 finally illustrate another embodiment of the invention in the form of a high-pressure rotary vane machine with a revolving casing ring. Rotor 36 which is designed according to the invention is rotatably mounted in the bearings 37 and 38 of the housing 35. This housing contains a bearing 40 in which the revolving casing ring 39 revolves. This casing ring 39 is disclosed in my mentioned U.S. Patent No. 2,975,716 and also the manner in which it is mounted in the rotor between the side walls thereof. For reasons of installation it is made of several parts. The division of the casing ring, the housing or the rotor is, however, not illustrated in the drawings since this would render them unclear. The rotor contains the slots 46 with the slot extensions 46a and 46b in the rotor side walls 36a and 36b. The axial ends of slots 36 may again be provided with clear ance grooves 6. The slots do not extend radially through the rotor 36, but only into the same. Within the slots 46, 46a, 46b the vanes 41 and their extensions 41a and 41b are slidably mounted. .Each vane contains a vane skid 43 which is pivotable on a pivot pin 42, as disclosed in my mentioned Australian Patent No. 237,220. It is, however, also possible to install vanes of a different type in this rotary vane machine. The work chambers 47 are formed between each pair of adjacent vanes, the rotor and its side walls, and the casing ring. At least one rotor aperture 44 leads into and out of each work chamber 47. The control shaft, not shown, may be fitted into the central bore 45 of the rotor.

The particular feature of the rotor 36 according to FIGURES 15 and 16 is that the slots 46, 46a, 4612 do not extend radially inwardly up to the central bore 45 of the rotor but remain separated therefrom by a web.

In all of the embodiments of the invention, the slot extensions a, 5b, 16a, 16b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 81) and/or 46b may be closed radially toward the outside, for example, by rings which are disclosed in my German patent application No. E 19 130 Ia/14b or my published Japanese application No. 36-22 371, or by lateral rotor hoods which enclose the rotor side walls in axial and radial directions, as disclosed in my US. Patent No. 2,975,716.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, I wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a rotary vane machine, a machine rotor composed of a central rotor part and a rotor side wall axially on each side of said central rotor part radially projecting therefrom, said rotor having at least one cavity therein extending through said central rotor part and into said rotor side walls, said cavity including at least one slot open at the periphery of said rotor and extending substantially radially along its axial length into said rotor, but terminating in the axial direction within said rotor side walls; and vane means guided in said slot and having a radial extension substantially matching the diameter of said central rotor part so as to be retractible into said cavity in said central part, at least one of the longitudinal walls of said slot having a plane sliding surface limiting said slot and adapted to engage with and to slidingly guide said vane means, at least the axial end portions of said slot extending in radial direction entirely through both said rotor side walls and opening at two points of the peripheries of said rotor side walls. 2. A rotary vane machine according to claim 1 wherein said side walls of said rotor have radial grooves extending along the axial ends of said slot to the peripheries of said side walls limiting said sliding surface and being wider in circu-mferental direction of said rotor than said slot.

3. A rotary vane machine according to claim 1 wherein said rotor has a plurality of said slots crossing each other and being located in axial planes.

4. A rotary vane machine according to claim 1 wherein said rotor has at least two of said slots disposed substantially parallel to and spaced from each other so as to be separated by an intermediate web from each other and extending through said central rotor part into said side walls; and wherein said vane means include vanes respectively slidingly guided in said slots.

5. A rotary vane machine according to claim 1 wherein said rotor has at least two opposite substantially radial slots extending through said central rotor part and into said rotor side walls, said two slots being open at substantially diametrically opposite sides of the periphery of said rotor, said two slots being parallel and offset to each other by a distance substantially equal to the width of one of said slots so that each of said opposite slots has one longitudinal wall surface disposed substantially within the same plane as the corresponding longitudinal wall of the opposite slot, each of said slots having a plane sliding surface confronting said wall surface; and wherein said vane means includes vanes respectively mounted in said slots slidingly engaging said sliding surfaces and being adapted to slide on each other when moving radially in said cavity toward and away from each other.

6. A rotary vane machine according to claim 1 wherein said central rotor part has a smaller diameter, and said side walls have the same diameter greater than the diameter of said central rotor part, wherein said rotor has at least one pair of opposite substantially radial slots extending in said central rotor part and into said rotor side walls, said slots being open at substantially diametrically opposite sides of the periphery of the rotor and extending along the entire axial length of said central part but terminating in the axial direction within said rotor side walls, said slots being parallel and offset to each other a distance substantially equal to the width of one slot so that each of said opposite slots has one radial slide surface disposed in the same plane as the corresponding radial slide surface of the opposite slot, each slot having another plane slide surface confronting said first mentioned slide surface, said cavity of said rotor including a central cavity part into which said opposite slots open, said central cavity part having at least the same axial length as said slots; and wherein said vane means include a pair of vanes respectively mounted in said slots for radial movement and having lateral faces slidingly engaging both said slide surfaces, said vanes being movable to an inner position partly located in said central cavity part and slidingly engaging each other in said plane in which said first-mentioned slide surfaces of said slots are located.

7. A rotary vane machine according to claim 6 wherein said plane in which said one radial slide surfaces of said slots are located is an axial plane, and wherein said central cavity part is cylindrical.

8. A rotary vane machine according to claim 1 wherein said rotor has a plurality of said slots crossing each other; and wherein said side walls have radial grooves extending along the axial ends of said crossing slots to the peripheries of said side walls limiting said sliding surfaces and being wider in circumferential direction of said rotor than said slots, said grooves of said crossing slots crossing each other.

9. A rotary vane machine according to claim 1, wherein said cavity of said rotor includes a cylindrical cavity part extending in axial direction along said central rotor part and projecting into said side Walls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 319,093 6/1885 Hassinger 103-135 630,013 8/1899 Taber 103-135 1,086,095 2/1914 Smith 123-16 2,048,825 7/1936 Smelser 123-16 2,179,401 11/1939 Chkliar 123-16 2,334,763 11/1943 Hawkins 103-137 2,493,197 1/1950 Inman 103-135 2,711,698 6/1955 Bozek et a1 103-136 2,816,512 12/1957 Murray 103-126 2,974,603 3/ 1961 Fraser 103-135 FOREIGN PATENTS 113,694 8/1941 Australia.

16,613 8/1927 The Netherlands.

MARK NEWMAN, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH H. BRANSON, JR., KARL J. ALBRECHT,

Examiners. R. M. VARGO, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A ROTARY VANE MACHINE, A MACHINE ROTOR COMPOSED OF A CENTRAL ROTOR PART AND A ROTOR SIDE WALL AXIALLY ON EACH SIDE OF SAID CENTRAL ROTOR PART RADIALLY PROJECTING THEREFROM, SAID ROTOR HAVING AT LEAST ONE CAVITY THEREIN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CENTRAL ROTOR PART SAID INTO SAID ROTOR SIDE WALLS, SAID CAVITY INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE SLOT OPEN AT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ROTOR AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY ALONG ITS AXIAL LENGTH INTO SAID ROTOR, BUT TERMINATING IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION WITHIN SAID ROTOR SIDE WALLS; AND VANE MEANS GUIDED IN SAID SLOT AND HAVING A RADIAL EXTENSION SUBSTANTIALLY MATCHINE THE DIAMETER OF SAID CENTRAL ROTOR PART SO AS TO BE RETRACTIBLE INTO SAID CAVITY IN SAID CENTRAL PART, AT LEAST ONE OF THE LONGITUDINAL WALLS OF SAID SLOT HAVING A PLANE SLIDING SURFACE LIMITING SAID SLOT AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE WITH AND TO SLIDINGLY GUIDE SAID VANE MEANS, AT LEAST THE AXIAL END PORTIONS OF SAID SLOT EXTENDING IN RADIAL DIRECTION ENTIRELY THROUGH BOTH SAID ROTOR SIDE WALLS AND OPENING AT TWO POINTS OF THE PERIPHERIES OF SAID ROTOR SIDE WALLS. 